1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective helmets for use in various situations and environments, and in particular to a protective helmet equipped with a view or ocular screen, a structure and arrangement for attachment to an internal portion of the external shell of a protective helmet or safety helmet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In various industries and environments, certain people, e.g., firemen, are required to wear a helmet for their protection. A helmet typically includes a shell for head protection, which includes a face opening opposite the wearer's face and a viewscreen that can be placed in front of the user's eyes. The viewscreen is generally pivotally mounted in relation to the shell about a transverse axis between a low position, in which the screen is extended relative to the face opening, and a high position, in which the face opening is substantially clear. Thus, the wearer can put the screen in the high position when circumstances do not necessitate protection of the eyes or when he wants to take the helmet off. Conversely, the screen can be lowered when the eyes must be protected. For this pivoting movement to be possible, the screen must be located at a sufficient distance from the face. However, in certain situations, the screen cannot protect the wearer effectively, particularly from elements that could be thrown from below in the direction of the face, entering the helmet through the relatively large space existing between the face and the screen.
There exist various helmet arrangements and systems for protection of the user, such as French Patent No. FR 2 716 089, which describes a helmet fitted with a viewscreen that can be moved between a high position away from the face and a low position close to the face. In this way, the space between the face and the screen can be reduced, which improves the protection conferred by the helmet. However, the system for assembling the screen described in this document involves a certain number of pieces that risk being lost, which complicates the assembly and increases the risks of poor assembly. Moreover, this system is not sufficiently robust, because it is difficult to move the screen between its different positions in either a fluid or precise manner.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a protective helmet and screen that addresses the issues discussed above.